Marriage on the Rocks

Today is Payce's Birthday and my Anniversery her party is on the 8th so I thought today I would talk about Matt and I.

Marriage, a word that has so much meaning but one definition. I think of my marriages. Yes I wrote that correctly. Two of them as part of my journey to 40 . What is my love story? It's pretty simple, I say Matt and I went to school together but the truth is it is far from simple. See I had been dating a boy in high school. He was my best friend. We went to church together, his mom graduated with my mom. We had a nice little life all planned out.

Now to tell you the truth I always had a crush on Matt and I would make sure to sit in the back row of chairs in Mrs. Maxey's class because Matt took up attendance during that class for the office and I could see him as he walked by. He would always be looking with his head tossed up to acknowledge me and I would make sure to toss my hair and smile on cue. I would also make sure to take the stairs because we would share a glance and a smile. If you know me you know I dislike baseball but I would go because Matt was the catcher for the varsity team.

My high school sweetheart and I did break up a few times but dating Matt was out of the question. You see I had a curfew that was 11pm on the dot. Not coming up the driveway or saying goodbye on the porch at 11 p.m. but in the house. Matt was two grade levels ahead of me and was what you would call a bad boy. So, as my sophomore year came to an end Matt graduated and we never even said a word to each other. But we both knew something was there. As I got older and fell in love I got married to my high school sweetheart. That marriage lasted a total of nine months with no children and strangely we divorced on my birthday in 1996. I can still tell you where I was the day Matt got his marriage licence to his first wife. I was in Kings Candy in Huntsville having lunch with my mom and they walked in looking very happy. I shared with my mom the crush I had on him back in the day. As they got up to leave he looked dead in my eyes, to my very soul, for what seemed like forever and then he was gone. They married and had a son and two years later they were divorced.

I saw him again in El Chico on a date that year. He was wearing a white shirt with cigarettes rolled up on the sleeve, looking like a total bad ass. I turned to my mom and said, "After all these years he still gives me butterflies but the smoking is a deal breaker." We laughed and moved on with our evening. A year later a girlfriend and I went to the Renaissance Festival and ended up at Shenanigans in Huntsville. Matt was a bouncer there and came right up to me and said, "I have been waiting seven years to say hi to you." We ended up dancing the night away and went to breakfast after the bar. I can remember that night like it was yesterday. We went to Denny's and I ordered eggs and ham but didn't eat my ham because I didn't want to cut it up. When he cut up my meat I knew he had potential. On a side note I also remember some guy had a preemie and the baby's diaper fit in his wallet because he was so proud they had just got out of the hospital. **update ** Matt said that was Freddy Limbrick, nick name Pill. Back to the love story. It was hard to leave that night because we had finally spoken, but I gave him my number and said when you stop smoking call me. He called me at 8 am the next morning to set up a date to Red Lobster that following week. I didn't want to come off picky but I didn't like seafood at all but didn't dare say a word. During the date he told me he hadn't a cigarette in a week and I can report  that 18 years later and I have never seen him smoke one. The date went perfect and seven months later we were married at the Country Club in Madisonville.

Now it's 2016 we have been married 17 years and have three children. It has been filled with ups and downs but every night we sleep in our queen bed and thank God for the victory over the day. This year we have been working on getting married in the Catholic church because our annulments were approved. We have met with the priest, taken the marriage inventory analysis and had one counseling session. So this is where I announce the new wedding date. WRONG! Our priest said at this time he doesn't feel comfortable marrying us. Seventeen years, three kids and a love story that can be traced back to 1992 and he doesn't feel comfortable marrying us??? How is that not a slap in the face?? I'm telling you my marriage is not perfect. We work really hard at it somedays and to be honest some days we don't but I love my beer drinking, master chef, great father, hot headed, sexy, understanding husband. So you can guess after what seemed like a week of tears and taking it personal to the point where we were even fighting about it I decided I'M GETTING MARRIED in the Catholic church. I don't know when but one day. Mark my words. They are going to see this marriage is going to work with my last dying breathe. Now I feel like I have something to prove. Funny thing is I didn't care if we got married in the Catholic church but it meant something to Matt and I want to make him happy. So I thought why not. I just never imagined they would say no. In closing my heart still breaks that a church wouldn't want us to recommit our love in front of our family and friends at this time but this family that God has made with love and the commitment of marriage will still stand till death do us part and I don't need another ceremony to remind me of my valves.